Amelia Grant

There are several reasons to visit a cardiac expert. But first, you need to know when to call 911 to report a probable heart attack and receive care right away.

Signs that you may have a heart attack and require immediate care include:

• Chest discomfort;
• Pressure in your chest that lasts for longer than a few minutes or that disappears and returns;
• Pain radiating down the left arm or spreading to the neck, jaw, or back;
• Shortness of breath;
• Nausea;
• Sweating;
• Fainting.

Women may experience differing symptoms. They, for example, are less likely to present with typical chest discomfort symptoms, particularly pain in the left arm, shortness of breath, nausea or vomiting, and back or jaw pain.

Ideally, you'll visit a cardiologist before it becomes an emergency. Cardiologists work to prevent and cure issues with the heart and main blood arteries. Among these difficulties are:

• Abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmia);
• Congenital heart disorders (heart conditions that are present at birth);
• Family-related cardiac diseases (genetic in nature);
• Heart attacks;
• Heart failure;
• Cardiac muscle illness (cardiomyopathy);
• Heart valve disease and more.

Given all of this, it's not surprising that cardiology, as a specialty, includes several subspecialties.

Reasons to Visit a Cardiologist

There are two basic reasons to visit a cardiologist. The first relates to factors that enhance your risk of cardiac problems:

• Chronic kidney disease;
• Diabetes;
• Family history of cardiac problems;
• There is a link between gum disease and heart disease;
• High blood pressure;
• High cholesterol;
• History of chemotherapy with chemicals known to affect the heart;
• History of excessive drinking or other drug abuse;
• History of preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy or shortly after);
• History of smoking;
• Peripheral arterial disease; 
• Starting a fresh fitness program after a long period of inactivity.

The second group of reasons to consult a cardiologist concerns how you feel. Symptoms of cardiac conditions include:

• Chest pain, pressure, or discomfort;
• Heart palpitations or flutters;
• Shortness of breath while moving;
• Shortness of breath while resting flat;
• Swelling in the legs or abdomen;
• Ulcers or skin color changes on the feet and legs;
• Leg soreness when walking that disappears with rest (claudication);
• Dizziness or fainting.

What to Expect When Visiting a Cardiologist

Most patients are referred to a cardiologist by their primary care physician.

When you visit a cardiologist, they will evaluate your medical history and do a physical examination. At this stage, specialist diagnostic instruments come into play. This might include taking a blood sample to determine parameters such as cholesterol levels and the presence of aberrant proteins.

There are also other techniques to examine the heart and major blood arteries to evaluate how they are functioning.

Common Heart Tests

Electrocardiograms (EKGs) detect electrical activity in the heart as it beats. Cardiologists may learn a lot from the squiggly line patterns that an EKG produces. In addition to cardiac rhythm disorders, EKGs can alert cardiologists to potential structural issues. These can include thick cardiac muscles, enlarged heart chambers, clogged arteries, or an inflammatory pericardium (the membrane that surrounds the heart).

Echocardiograms (ultrasound) allow cardiologists to watch the heart as it beats. They can see the size, shape, and movement of your heart and valves. Echocardiograms measure how effectively the heart pumps, which is the most critical examination in cardiology.

Nuclear cardiology is mostly used for stress testing, which involves examining the heart and important blood arteries while the heart is being made to work hard via exercise on a treadmill, stationary bicycle, or drugs. Nuclear cardiology uses a little quantity of radioactive tracer in the bloodstream. A gamma camera, a type of scanning instrument, detects blood flow to a patch of heart muscle using the tracer.

Advanced Cardiac Imaging

MRIs (Opens in a new window) image the heart, providing cardiologists with a complete view of its anatomy and function. An MRI can also examine the structure of the heart muscle itself. This allows a cardiologist to determine whether the damage to the heart muscle is caused by:

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy involves abnormal muscle cells;
• Deposits of aberrant proteins (amyloidosis) or granulomas (sarcoidosis);
• Inflammation caused by viruses such as Covid-19;
• Scarring from heart attacks.

CT scans (Opens in a new window) examine the status of the blood arteries that supply the heart. The picture assists the cardiologist in determining the presence and composition of arterial plaque, which can constrict or obstruct blood arteries. Narrow or obstructed blood arteries can result in heart attacks, strokes, and other complications.